To me, this movie is perfection.

Good concept, poorly executed.

best movie i've ever seen.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

What otherwise could've been a mere TV-movie, I'll give a borderline thumbs up to for Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s performance. He brings you around to caring about the plight of this ex-con who forms a chess- playing club for inner-city youths. You realize he's not perfect, has made his share of mistakes, and yes, will probably make more. But at the same time, you empathize with him, and want him to succeed. And chess?-yes, not the most exciting topic for a movie, but the movie is more about the story of the lead character and the other troubled kids in the film- look at it more as a "Dangerous Pawns" (take-off on "Dangerous Minds")..??

Cuba Gooding Jr an Oscar winning actor who now tends to do rather a lot of straight to DVD films which he stars in and some cameos or supporting roles in major films destined for the cinema.This film is obviously a low budget film destined for DVD and pay TV. Gooding now looks like a guy in middle age and in this film he is an ex con with grown up kids, becomes a janitor and teaches chess to a class of kids in detention. Chess equals life lessons and his students are from the wrong side of life.Its a feel good film with a slight hard edge, but you have the usual plot points that these type of films always tend to have. A class of alpha male hoodlums, a bright but reluctant chess player, a tragedy which leads to one character at a crossroads, superior officials placing obstacles as when one of them wins his victory is rescinded leading to a showdown later on.Gooding is more reserved, a man who has added years to his youthful zest and there is no mugging for the camera here and he is the anchor in this low budget but affirming film.

"This is a king. This is your life. One mistake and it can be taken away." Eugene Brown (Gooding Jr.) is an ex-felon who is struggling to find a job and relate to his kids. After finding a job as a high school janitor he is asked to watch the detention kids one day until they can find a replacement. When he brings up the topic of chess he begins to change the lives of the "troubled kids" forever. I love movies based on true stories, but I was worried about seeing this going in. One one hand a true story with Cuba Gooding Jr, that is good. On the other hand though I thought how many times can they remake Lean On Me? After movies like that one and Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, Fame, etc... I wondered how different can this one be. While I have to admit it wasn't 100% different it was very very good and much much better then I was expecting. The best part about this movie is that it stayed just a step or two away from being way to cheesy to be enjoyed but it did a good job of changing things just enough to keep it feeling real while keeping the emotion that it needed. Different enough from the previous "helping inner city kids" movies to make it interesting and worth seeing. Overall, very good and never took the over-the-top cheesy way out that so many of these types of movies do. That is a good thing and because of that I highly recommend the movie. I give this an A-.

There are not many "feel good" movies out there today, but this one really counts among those that fill this category. Cuba Gooding has long been one of my favourite actors. He possesses a wide range of acting abilities as evidenced by "Snow Dogs" on one hand with his somewhat bland comedic style to "Gifted Hands" wherein he brings to the screen a dramatic style that is uniquely his own. It is this latter gift that he portrays in this feature as he moves from an ex-con to a giver that gives back to the community and its young confused residents, a new hope that most had never known. He portrays the real life story of Eugene Brown, a man who'd known nothing but crime for most of his life, but once he was through serving many years for armed robbery, he dedicated his life to helping other young men to see that there was more to life than crime. It's a good story made better by the fact that it was based on real life.